Script Consultation

Help With Writing Your Television Pilot, Series Spec Script, Rewrites and Studio/Network Notes

Script Consultation

Congratulations! If you are coming to this page for script analysis and consultations then you’re theoretically pretty far along in the writing process of your script. You’ve probably done all the heavy lifting, from generating the idea to fleshing it out into the logline, and perhaps the treatment and maybe the beat sheet and outline for the script. You then put some more hard work into it and have written your script. You are well ahead of many people who start out to write a script. Below are the various consultations offered for scripts. I hope to be able to help you get to the next stage of your script!

This page focuses on half-hour and one-hour TV shows. If you have a TV movie script or want to develop and write a miniseries, please contact me for further details. For any other kind of writing for television, including, logline, treatments and script outlines, or pitch documents, please see Writing Consultations, or Pitch Prep and Practice Consultations.

Types of Scripts

Before we go any further you need to decide what kind of script you will be writing: Original or Spec. Whenever you write a script on your own, that has not (yet) been commissioned by a production company, studio or network, then you’re writing what is known as a “spec” script. The spec (“speculative”) script is basically you writing the pilot or sample script you want to write. There are two types of spec scripts, a Spec Pilot and a Spec Sample Episode. See this description for more details on types of scripts.

Script Length

Half-Hour Script: Your half-hour pilot script should be somewhere between 22 and 25 pages, for a show with commercials, such as you might find on one of the broadcast or basic cable networks. For a show without commercials, you’ll want to be closer to 30 pages. These numbers are just numbers, though, as many things influence how long a finished episode really ends up being. There can be many factors that affect the length, from the pace of the show to the number of scenes, to what gets cut in post or the style of direction, etc. One fascinating thing to see is how long a script runs during a table read. I’ve had 25-page scripts run 17 minutes. I’ve seen 30 page scripts run 35 minutes. The pilot script for Veep is 45 pages and the episode is 30 minutes. So numbers are just numbers. But make it a good script and you’ll have something sellable.

One Hour Script: As above, page numbers do not necessarily correspond with the old maxim of “1 script page = 1 minute of screen time.” You want to be somewhere between 45 and 60 pages, depending on all of the factors mentioned above.

1THE SCRIPT

For script consultations, I will read your script, give you a detailed, written analysis with suggestions for improving your script and story, and we’ll have a consultation via phone, FaceTime or Skype. For an original pilot, we’ll also make sure you’re setting up the series nicely and letting us get to know the characters well. If your script is a series spec, then we’ll work to make sure it closely emulates the existing show and has a similar tone to that show.

There are three levels of consultation available for the script consultations. These include:

Half-Hour Script Consultations (Scripts cannot exceed 30 pages)

Level One: Script is read and analyzed; 3-4 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail: $500.00

Level Two: Script is read and analyzed; 3-4 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail. You prepare a second draft and we repeat the process: $900.00

Level Three: Script is read and analyzed; 3-4 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail. You prepare a second draft and we repeat the process. You prepare a third draft and we again repeat the process: $1300.00

One Hour Script Consultations (Scripts cannot exceed 60 pages)

Level One: Script is read and analyzed; 5-6 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail: $700.00

Level Two: Script is read and analyzed; 5-6 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail. You prepare a second draft and we repeat the process: $1100.00

Level Three: Script is read and analyzed; 5-6 pages of written notes are sent to you, and we’ll have a one hour consultation to discuss the notes in detail. You prepare a second draft and we repeat the process. You prepare a third draft and we again repeat the process: $1500.00

Level One will get you a basic script. And perhaps that is all you need, as you feel you can take it from there. Once the fundamentals have been raised for you, you feel comfortable in doing your own rewrites. This works best for writers who have experience and have been there, done that with scripts.

Level Two will get you a basic script that’s been rewritten with extensive objective input from the outside. This works best for writers who have less experience and feel they need that extra push and help on the script.

Level Three will get you a script that’s been rewritten several times, with extensive objective input from the outside. By the time you finish three rewrites and have gone through and worked the notes and discussed the script at length, you will feel pretty comfortable about the script. This works best for writers who feel they need that extra push, additional guidance and want to really refine their script.

2NOTES INTERPRETATION & REWRITES

Okay… You did the hard work, wrote the script and now have received notes from your production company or the studio or the network. Now what? If you haven’t dealt with notes from these types of entities (or even if you have), it can be overwhelming and annoying and confusing and just plain weird. Depending on the level of training and experience that your exec has, and who they are and what they want from you, you can get a dizzying array of things thrown at you. And I’ve seen a lot of notes in my career, both to me, but also from me, to fellow writers and producers. One thing that never gets old is the way notes are delivered. Some people only do broad stroke notes. Others give you line-by-line, detailed notes. Some execs give you feelings for a script that need to be sorted out. And I’m not saying notes are inherently bad… they can be extremely helpful, especially when you consider that they are being given by people who probably know better what the network wants and needs. Or not… it all depends.

I’ve been in involved with notes from both sides, as when you are an Executive Producer or showrunner you sometimes give notes to writers (along with a myriad of others on the team, of course). So, if you get a set of notes on a script and need help deciphering them, and trying to figure out which ones are important and which ones can be easily dealt with—and which cannot be dealt with or accomplished, then I’m here to help.

Half-Hour Script Notes Interpretation: Notes on your up-to-30 page script have been given to you by an individual or company; together, you and I analyze and discuss them during a half-hour consultation via phone, FaceTime or Skype. After your rewrite, the script 30-page, 3-4 pages of notes are sent to you and another half-hour consultation occurs: $850.00

One Hour Script Notes Interpretation: Notes on your up-to-60 page script have been given to you by an individual or company; together, you and I analyze and discuss them during a half-hour consultation via phone, FaceTime or Skype. After your rewrite, the script is read, 5-6 pages of notes are sent to you25-page and another half-hour consultation occurs: $1100.00

Additional hours may be purchased (for beyond what’s included in a particular package) for $275/each. A password for a protected page will be sent to you upon inquiry, if you meet the minimum threshold.

If you have any questions, please contact me. Once you have purchased a consultation, I will be in touch to A) obtain your pertinent documents and/or B) if the consultation is a call or includes a call, to schedule it when it's convenient for you. Consultation calls can be via phone, FaceTime or Skype video. Not all consultations include a call, some are only done via documents and written notes. By using this site you agree to the Terms and Conditions of this site.